Professional surveyors help you understand your land

Professional surveyors help you understand your land

In a previous PYB blog post (Aug. 25), we focused on the history and importance of land surveying as a profession, and noted some prominent surveyors who made their mark in the history books: Sir George Everest, George Washington and Abraham Lincoln among them.

This post takes a closer look at the skills and expertise of today’s professional land surveyor, who provides invaluable insights and expertise when you are buying or selling a homedisputing a boundary issue with a neighbour, or planning to develop your land (e.g., by building an additionfenceshed, etc.)

An Ontario Land Surveyor (OLS) has unique knowledge and skills that encompass engineering, mathematics, communications, land law, cartography, computer expertise and more, honed through years of training, experience and accreditation. Surveyors – like doctors, dentists and lawyers – are members of self-governing professions. An OLS is licensed by the Association of Ontario Land Surveyors, a professional body established in 1832, which governs the practice of surveying in Ontario in accordance with the Surveyors Act.

Surveyors draw upon their extensive body of knowledge to create a survey plan that accurately represents the true nature and extent of a parcel of land. They assess a property’s dimensions and features by undertaking detailed historical research, application of the law and Generally Accepted Surveying Principles, coupled with state-of-the-art measuring technology and rigorous quality control.

Only a licensed OLS is legally permitted to provide a professional opinion on the location of a property’s corners or boundaries. This ensures, for example, that the land you are considering for purchase is actually the land you are buying. Mistakes can and do happen: Read about an Edmonton family who discovered they were building their new home on the wrong lot.

An OLS can tell you almost everything you need to know about the spatial aspects of the land in question, including locations of buildings, trees, fences, sidewalks, driveways and other features of the property, as well as any neighbouring structures and features that may be encroaching. Be sure to tell your surveyor if you have concerns about a neighbour's ongoing trespassing activities on your property.

An OLS can also help you navigate local bylaws, building regulations, wetland regulations, zoning limitations and more. She or he can help you evaluate possibilities and alternatives to determine the most efficient and legal method to achieve your goals if your intent is to improve, develop or subdivide the land.

Various approval agencies have specific submission requirements that can only be addressed by a professional surveyor preparing the applicable type of plan. Some plans, such as Topographic Plans, provide the base information on which other specialists rely.

If you have a survey-related issue, you can always make an appointment to consult an OLS through Protect Your Boundaries’ Talk to a Surveyor service.

Or ask your question in our blog comments section below, or on our Facebook page, or tweet to us @BoundaryWise. We’re here to help you understand land!